"I would argue that for a long time, this country was under-focused on the counterintelligence threat that China poses," Wray noted in a Tuesday presentation at the RSA Conference 2019 in San Francisco. "There is nothing like it. I am not someone who is prone to hyperbole, but ... the thing that shocked me was the breadth, depth and the scale of the Chinese counterintelligence."

Nearly every FBI branch office is investigating some case involving China, whether it's counterintelligence or a possible cyberattack, Wray told RSA attendees. "It covers every sector of the economy. It covers academia," he said of the investigations.

Indictments

By the end of 2018, the FBI and Justice Department had indicted several Chinese nationals connected to various cyber-spying operations.

In October, a federal grand jury indicted 10 Chinese nationals for participating in an elaborate cyberespionage campaign that included infecting company computers with malware in order to steal plans and other intellectual property.

That case was followed by another indictment unsealed in December that charged two other Chinese nationals with belonging to the APT10 group that is suspected of attacks against businesses and facilities in the United States and Japan.

Denies Retaliation

Wray denied that these and other cases are in retaliation against China as part of the Trump administration's trade initiatives.

"Not at all. This is not about trade. It's not about politics ... and what we are going to do, as long as I have anything to say about it, is we're going to follow the facts, independently, wherever they lead and to whomever they lead," Wary said. "And that means when we find someone who is committing federal crimes, against Americans or American businesses, we're going to go after them."

In addition to discussing nation-state threats posed by China, Russia and others, Wray touched on issues ranging from morale at the agency, which he said is good, to the role that the private sector can play in protecting critical infrastructure.

Wray also touched on the issue of encryption, which he noted was a "provocative subject." He said he doesn't want it used as an "unfettered space that's utterly beyond law enforcement."

About the Author

Ferguson is the managing editor for the news desk at Information Security Media Group. He's been covering the IT industry for more than 13 years. Before joining ISMG, Ferguson was editor-in-chief at eWEEK and director of audience development for InformationWeek. He's also written and edited for Light Reading, Security Now, Enterprise Cloud News, TU-Automotive, Dice Insights and DevOps.com.

Operation Success!

Risk Management Framework: Learn from NIST

From heightened risks to increased regulations, senior leaders at all levels are pressured to
improve their organizations' risk management capabilities. But no one is showing them how -
until now.

Learn the fundamentals of developing a risk management program from the man who wrote the book
on the topic: Ron Ross, computer scientist for the National Institute of Standards and
Technology. In an exclusive presentation, Ross, lead author of NIST Special Publication 800-37
- the bible of risk assessment and management - will share his unique insights on how to:

Understand the current cyber threats to all public and private sector organizations;

Develop a multi-tiered risk management approach built upon governance, processes and
information systems;

Enter your email address to reset your password

Already have anISMG account?

Forgot Your Password Message:

Contact Us

Already have anISMG account?

Our website uses cookies. Cookies enable us to provide the best experience possible and help us understand how visitors use our website. By browsing careersinfosecurity.eu, you agree to our use of cookies.